Reviews

“I’m the Most Beautiful Count” – A Historical BL Full of Charm, Power & Tension ??

Dive into this series — when I first saw it, I immediately started because I saw Woradet in it. I was like, okay, this looks interesting. But then I found out there’s actually a manga version too, which I didn’t even know about!

Woradet and Kosol’s story and dynamic were just so sweet and powerful at the same time. I could literally feel the energy between them — the way Woradet carried himself in every scene was too good, honestly amazing.

Now let’s talk about Banjong. I don’t even know what to call him because that man with his glasses? Too good 😭🔥 The way his part blended into the whole story — especially the historical part and the century switch — was just amazing.

And Jet and King Chaiyachet… can I call it a friendship? 😭 I don’t think many people are shipping them, but I loved their scenes together. Jet always fits with anyone, but this dynamic? It hit differently.

Everything about this story just had me hooked. The history, the emotions, the characters — all perfect. For me, it’s a 10/10. If you love historical BLs with strong, smart, and sassy male leads, this one’s for you. 💅✨

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Amazing story… that stumbled on the finish line

As I was watching this series, I was amazed at how compellingly naturalistic it was. The concept is of course fantastical, but the characters are very grounded, with pretty realistic reactions to situations. There is a looming threat, a ticking clock for Khem's life, but he's also trying to live normally as much as he can with the time he has. He's trying to stay alive, but also he can't live every moment in strict survival mode. This has been his entire existence. He still has friends, does school projects, travels, has a crush, etc. But as the deadline looms and things get more dangerous, this story follows the final desperate attempt to beat the curse. So there's this lovely balance of tension rising, danger lurking, trying to find answers, while also finding community in this town, with his friends, wanting to be with the boy he likes. It all felt very real in that way. Even with spirits, shamans, past lives, etc. because those things are natural to the people here. This is the accepted reality/religion/whatever you want to call it.

And the characters were so compelling in how nuanced and naturalistic they were. Even the looming "bad guy" of the series, from the very beginning, there's a sense that there's more to her. That she's not just evil. There's a reason she is the way she is and why she's doing this. Eventually the story will give us those answers. And they are heartbreaking. I was really looking forward to seeing how they found a resolution. Especially after a certain death, things really seemed to be ramping up for a big emotional climax.

But then the show stumbled in the last 2 episodes. It didn't do anything stupid or really awful, but all of a sudden that masterful pacing was gone. After introducing new characters and elements at the last minute, there's suddenly a lot of jumping around in time and space. Things are revealed to the audience pretty out of order, leading scenes to lack proper impact. Characters suddenly do complete heel turns on decisions they were very clear on before for the sake of momentary drama. and worst of all, the big resolution to the problem is rushed, happening within a few minutes, and not tying in to our main characters' arcs at all. Again, the answer itself is not… BAD, but it wasn't properly integrated into the story. There were a lot of things in the last 2 episodes that felt like deus ex machina. For any other series it probably wouldn't be that noteworthy, but when this series was SO great at pacing and storytelling to this point, it was a definite let down.

I initially had this series as 9-9.5 stars. The ending isn't bad enough to ruin it, but enough to bring it down to just an 8 for me.

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Revamp : The Dead Story!

This had everything it needed to be a guilty pleasure masterpiece, from vampires to forbidden love to century-old curses to a tragic painting, and most importantly Boun Prem. And yet, somehow, it manages to take all that potential and throw it down the drain.

The premise opens dramatically with a vampire sealed inside a painting, freed by a modern man who is calm about meeting a vampire that he even offered to make tea. To be very honest, I wasn't expecting much from a vampire drama, but then it never lived up to the lore it built.

Coming to logic, or what I call the abstract art here, interpret it however you want. Now, starting from the start, Ramil being trapped for a century should make him disoriented, right? This man adjusts to the 21st century faster than most of us figure out new trends. Again, not asking for ironclad things, just basic stuff.

The drama till the very end couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Was it supposed to be a bit dark? A romance? A parody of its own genre? It felt like this project was directed by different people. One wanted it to be slapstick comedy, the other just wanted to see Boun shirtless but there must be someone who actually wanted the vampire drama with angst, so we also see sprinkles of that. I respect all three visions, but maybe not in the same hour. Somehow, the tonal whiplash weighed down the drama completely and made it boring.

They also introduced a hunter's subplot, and I thought this would bring back some life and excitement in this domesticated tale of a vampire, but I was again proven wrong. They totally underused it to the point that it just started looking funny. Imagine a secret organisation taking on supernatural beings and declaring war, but all of their plans lacked any preparedness. I will not even question logic here.

The only aspect that I enjoyed was the bond between Ramil and the vampire brothers (Methas, Ciar and Mekhin). It wasn't the central plot but I wished it was. They had each other's backs and it was fun where they shared the screen. Again, they totally wasted potential to actually explore the 3 characters and bring in some actual plot. Ciar might come off as rude and presumptuous, but he was the only one who acted like an actual vampire.

Coming to chemistry between the leads, the romance is what sank the ship. It was just too much and everywhere. I like the leads and their chemistry but here all the focus was on their love story, leaving everything else (the actual plot, pacing, character depth) adrift.

Acting-wise, Mark as Methas captured my attention and it was good seeing Barcode on screen. Rest, everyone was forgettable. Again, not bad but nothing to run home about.
The production itself wasn't terrible. The manor was gorgeous, and the opening OST was good. There were inconsistencies in editing, but at one point, I stopped caring.

Overall, this isn't unwatchable but boring. Things kept happening, but nothing held my interest. Everything was half-baked. Again, I understand the main plot is vampires and it is expected to be a bit campy. In fact, I welcome that trope, but this wasn't even a fun camp.
So yes, Revamp tried to suck blood but ended up sucking energy instead.

Will I recommend it? No. I am definitely not their target audience for this.
Will I recommend GMM TV to stop attempting vampire dramas? YES. PLEASE !

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Everything, I mean everything, about this drama ate!!!

Lemme talk about the casting first. From past life characters to child characters are so good looking, and they resemble the main leads so much, like I had to pause and stare and admire their beauty and talent. Specially the teen version of Peem and Khemmika's feature matches so much with Peem and Khem, goshhh!!! Even the ghost, aka Ramphueng, is so damn pretty. But she still scared me in a lot of scenes lol...

And the story...my my my!!! It was so refreshing to see 'horror' genre in bl, that too with this insane plot. There was not a single plot-hole. Everyone's character was so well-written and so so well-described. This story had everything. The right amount of funny scenes, made you cry buckets just the right amount (though I cried in the soft scenes too). The way the couples, as in Peem-Khem and Charn-Jet, loved and protected each other throughout the journey is so endearing. And the friendship between Khem and Jet!!! I need a bestie like Jet in my life fr!

And the OST!!! Every single one of the ost sounds so heavenly!! I forgot how many times I listened to"Mantra" damn!!!





Overall, I need a Peem and Jet in my life!! ASAP!!! And if I get Khem and Charn additional with them I won't complain *laugh slyly*

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Nice story telling for a short series

This is quite awesome, and now I understand why it's highly recommended.

Yes, the plot was predictable, but the delivery and overall execution were so good that I found myself clicking "next" repeatedly, and time just flew by.

I really loved the characters. I've seen the main actors/actress in long-running series before, and I'm glad to see them here because their performances were excellent. They truly deserve more projects.

Episode 23 was particularly impressive as it beautifully explored the background of Yu Li. That was especially remarkable for a short series. It was well delivered! I hope they give her more episodes because her backstory is quite interesting.

There is a lot of potential in this show, and if you're looking to pass the time, it's definitely worth watching and a must-see.

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Very Sweet

I’m very late getting to this show, so I am just going to echo what a lot of others have already said. This show is very character-driven with very little plot, so if that’s not what you’re after then you may want to pass on this one. The main couple’s relationship overshadowed everything else, which was both a positive and negative. I had no investment in the second couple or the other side characters due to the main romance stealing the show, and I often zoned out or fast forwarded the scenes that didn’t include the leads. I tried to get into the other stories, but as the main romance developed I found myself getting annoyed when their story was interrupted by the things less interesting.

The chemistry with the leads was delightfully wonderful, from the distant awkwardness in the beginning to the unguarded love and affection for each other at the end. All of their scenes had me in tunnel vision, feeling all of the emotions and pain. It was such a wonderful payoff seeing Sang Yan find so much joy and happiness in the end. To get acknowledgement for all of the quiet caring he did for her behind the scenes. I especially loved how he quietly took care of Yifan without making her feel like a burden. How he maintained distance, respected her space / boundaries, and indirectly took care of her. BJT did a great job walking the line of feeling incredibly hurt and guarded from when she devastated him in the past, while also still remaining constant in his love for her. The tension between those two emotions was palpable in his subtle facial expressions and his eyes. Very, very well done. And he never once punished her for hurting him. I loved how with the intimacy and skinship he kept it light and playful in the beginning, allowing her to move at her own pace. He had this brilliant knack for phrasing his “jokes” about affection / intimacy in such a way as to keep her in the position of power and control. After their romantic relationship became more secure, he took the reins more often. “It’s time to repay that debt.” 🔥❤️‍🔥THAT SCENE. They had a lot of them. It was amazing. 👏🏻 He set the bar for boyfriends pretty damn high.

Yifan was also incredible to watch as well. Her guardedness, social awkwardness and fearfulness was masterfully portrayed. Gosh, it was so hard watching her life her life without connectedness and keeping distance from everyone, even her few friends. She cried beautifully, and depicted the psychological damage of trauma very accurately. It was wonderful seeing her come out of her shell, smile more, take more initiative with skinship and intimacy, and find herself in a place where she was able to receive love from others. The idea that people need to heal from their trauma on their own is nonsense. People heal from trauma by experiencing the opposite messages that they received from the people who hurt them. Just as all trauma happens within the context of relationships, so does the healing. It was all very well done.

I loved the music in this show, and despite the darker elements of abuse and abandonment, I found the show to be relaxing to watch most of the time.

The reason I couldn’t give this one a 10 was because of the lack of investment in the side plots, but also there was one thing that the writers did later on in the show that totally derailed Yifan’s character development. If you have watched it, you’ll know. There were SO MANY ways that the whole situation could have been handled better, but the storytellers settled on extreme character regression with the FL. It was SO disappointing! However, the crap lasted only a few episodes and then it was like it never happened. I wish they allowed Sang Yan to be mad about it, but they did not. If I could have ignored that horrible character regression, this would have been a perfect show. Why, writers, why? 🙄 Regardless, I recommend this one if you like a sloooooooooooowwwwww burn romance, character-driven story, and great chemistry.

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Was Better Than the Last GMMTV Vampire Series

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

Overall, this was an enjoyable series. Was the script perfect? No, but it did a better job keeping me interested in the storyline and characters. As for the positive, the script did a great job grabbing my attention. It also had the perfect balance of a dark, moody comedy. Although somewhat predictable, I still liked the little twists and turns. As for the weak areas, the script started to unravel a little by episode 5. I love supernatural storylines, but there were many things in the second half that really stretched the concept of suspended belief too thin. For me, episode 9 and 10 was just too bizarre and had things that did not make sense. There were a few characters that had inconsistent development, especially with Elise. The entire cast did an incredible job. This also did a better job with the fighting scenes and CGI. For the most part, the special effects make-up was good. There were a few times it could have been better. This had a nice sound track and well-placed background music, but there were some miner audio problems in episode 2 and 10.

Random Note:

The opening credits are visually stunning.

I love when GMMTV does cross merchandising of their own productions. For me, it was funny to see “My Golden Blood” in episode 1 considering I couldn’t even finish that series.

Various rooms used for Punn’s house and Ramil’s hotel room was also used in the series “Only Friends” (Boston’s house and Top’s hotel room).



******Potential Spoiler Alert******

Although it had a weak ending, at least it was happy.

Elise starts off as a diehard “All vampires must die” mentality and then drastically changes to “Let’s help end the feud” mindset. There was no real smooth transition with this.

I had a feeling that Punn was one of the hunters, but not a master hunter.

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Utter Disappointment

It's disheartening to see the stark contrast in quality and care between GMMTV's hetero shows and their BL offerings. The hetero series consistently receive the benefit of strong writing, skilled acting, competent directors, generous budgets, and thoughtful cinematography, they are given every resource to succeed. Meanwhile, BL shows are consistently treated as an afterthought, leading to a cycle where the company prioritizes quantity over quality.

My frustration has hit a new peak after watching "Revamp." It is the perfect example of everything wrong with this system: a show with a terrible story and downright mediocre acting, where the production was clearly okay with delivering a subpar product. They gave us a fundamentally broken show and hoped the BounPrem ship alone would make us accept it, relying entirely on their fanbase to consume this rubbish.

This is why I am so tired of fans providing inflated ratings based solely on their favorite ships, rather than a show's actual merit. We must collectively raise our standards. If we don't demand better, we will never get it. To quote Tyra Banks, some of these shows are so bad you "wanna give you a 0 but that's not possible so I give you a 1."

While we have been gifted a few exceptional BLs, they are rare exceptions. Why can't studios take a creative risk on BL narratives? We should be sold a compelling story first and foremost, not just a marketable pairing. I don't care about a ship if the actors cannot deliver a believable performance, that is the simple truth.

All I want is for BL stories to be treated with the same respect and given the same production love as any other genre. I am tired of the constant letdown. Many fans accept mediocrity because BL is still considered a niche market, but being niche is no excuse for inferior quality. This genre and its audience deserve the same level of excellence, and it's time we stopped settling for less.

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Fated Hearts is the true legend of female general this year.

I watch this title for two reasons. One, Li Qin. It is wonderful to see her playing a strong female character again. I was captivated by her acting, for example, in Princess Agents (2017), where she played a spoiled princess who fell into the abyss of revenge. Second, the female general genre, which is a disappointment after "that" legendary one this year. Imagine, with a similar episode 1 depicting "betrayal", "falling from a cliff", and "amnesia", Fated Hearts has stronger direction and storytelling, so that even the hated tropes can become very interesting and engaging. Thus, I know, picking this drama is a good choice for quality entertainment.

The best things to note about this drama are:

First, rich and deep characterization. Each main and primary supporting character has a full explanation of who they are and how they turn into a "different" person throughout the story. The beginning, process, and ending of their growth, whether in a positive or negative direction, are smoothly described without gaps. From enemies to lovers, from lovers to enemies. All is a complete circle with a clear closure. We can understand them very well: their personalities, temperaments, thought processes, decisions, and actions.

We have the first prince of Susha, Feng Suige, who is righteous, brave, fierce, and full of rage; the best archer of Jinxiu, Fu Yixiao, who is calm, mature, free-spirited, and thoughtful. The two are a perfect pair in both fighting and love, with the strong aura of battle-hardened generals. And Princess Xiyang, who is young, strong-willed, but naive; Xia Jingshi, the handsome first prince of Jinxiu, who is treacherous, calculative, and cold-blooded; and Xia Jingyan, the emperor of Jinxiu, who is morally bankrupt, crazy, but kind. These three are tangled in a complex romance that ended in a perfect tragedy. Nobody gets what their hearts desire most.

Second, theme and premises. The story is set in a simple, fictional world, so not much prior knowledge is required to grasp the backstory. There are two kingdoms at war with each other. In the peak of their conflict, the tides turned in an unexpected direction due to a single arrow. Fu Yixiao's amnesia serves as a literary device for telling a story of "rebirth to a new person", which transforms the events. The subsequent story follows the paths of revenge for every character and the answers they receive. The killing and blood are scattered almost everywhere. The law is simple: power and loyalty, hierarchy and authority, dictate what is right and wrong.

This drama explores the brutal nature of human beings, particularly their vengeful tendencies. There is no preaching on kindness, peace, love, and the virtue of forgiveness, which is often found in historical dramas. The rules for morality are simple: If you hurt others, you will pay double for that. No room for pity and mercy for traitors. Everybody gets their share of punishment, whether in the form of regret, guilt, loss, hurt, or death. And, everybody gets their lessons, even though not all of them have the opportunity to atone for their sins.

Third, the realism in storytelling. I appreciate that Fated Hearts remains grounded in the reality of war. Civilians and soldiers are often sacrificed by the elites for power. War creates suffering and a generation of orphans who find solace in the bonds of brotherhood. Once they serve those with power, but they grow up learning the truth and fight to protect the civilians and comrades. They learn from betrayal and form a better alliance with the righteous one. Despite primarily telling a story of conflict, this drama also reveals the ingredients of peacemaking. Even though the peace period is only briefly mentioned in the epilogue, our imagination of what will happen beyond the happy ending is clear. It is a very satisfying, happy ending.

Fourth, quality in production. Fated Hearts is not a wuxia drama, but its fighting scenes are all well-choreographed and compact. Every movement demonstrates strength, swiftness, and detailed impacts. Every clash is bloody and creative. My favorite is the fight between Fu Yixiao and Xiao Weiran in the dark, narrow alley. The spark from their swords is so dramatic and beautiful. Other than the fight scene, the director also handles emotional scenes very well. The setting of cities and forests is are bit lame, but sufficient for telling the story. Amazingly, emotions and the heaviness of situations are conveyed through diverse ways, not only facial expressions: from teary red eyes, clenched fists, and tense jawlines, to tone and line deliveries, inner voices, flashbacks, the spatial arrangement, the camera angle, and even the creative use of light and shadow. The background music is sometimes repetitive, but it fits the nuances.

Fifth, we have many rewatchable, beautiful moments between Fu Yixiao and Feng Suige. Their chemistry, both during the period when they are enemies and after they become lovers, is strong. It is wonderful to see their interactions, banters, cooperation, and fights. They are not afraid to touch, hug, kiss, and show care and love. It is we who watch them (including Lu Ke and other battalion members) who are embarrassed. The best thing is: no love triangle, no third wheel, no misunderstandings, no miscommunications, no separation for your sake, no silence to conceal "I don't want to hurt you, so you'd better not know", no overly lovey-dovey or comical moment, and nobody tries to prevent their love. All people who know them support them. Their love is straightforward without detour.

I am so satisfied with this show. I urge you to try, as I am planning to rewatch myself.

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Confusion and Disappointment

From Jiang Xue Ning being the main focus and driving force of the story, she somehow turned into a side character in her own narrative, constantly needing to be saved. After just a few episodes, it became clear that Xie Wei had taken over as the true focus, which felt strange, considering it was Jiang Xue Ning who was supposed to be reliving her life and changing her fate. Instead, she ended up as a puppet, repeatedly rescued and used by Xie Wei.

Both Jiang Xue Ning and Xie Wei were repeatedly labeled as “evil,” yet that never truly showed in their actions or personalities. It’s a classic case of inconsistent characterization, where the audience is expected to simply accept what they’re told without actually seeing it play out.

Jiang Xue Ning had genuinely great options when it came to her love interests, but sadly, she chose the worst one, the manchild who believes he can control a woman. If I had to sum up how I felt about Xie Wei, it would be: The Ick. If the word “Ew” were a person, it would be him. Forcing her to kiss him, kicking his own son when he doesn’t get what he wants… but hey, not evil, right? Haha.

The villain was painfully one-dimensional and practically nonexistent for the first 30 episodes, which completely deflated any sense of tension from the start. There was never a real sense of danger for the main characters either, since Xie Wei was portrayed as this overly competent lead who could survive anything. The other villains never felt like an actual threat.

Side characters like Zhang Zhe, Yan Li, You Fangyin, and Jiang Xue Hui were the true highlights of this drama for me. Honestly, I wish they had been the leads, but I guess we can’t have everything we want, right?

I didn’t feel much chemistry between Jiang Xue Ning and Xie Wei either, probably because their romance only started developing after episode 30—and with Xie Wei being the definition of a manchild, it didn’t help. Why do writers keep doing this?

The concept and premise of the drama are fine, but the execution fell flat. Right from the start, we’re told that this is a fictional story being rewritten, which immediately removes all tension. On top of that, introducing us to Jiang Xue Ning as someone who had already gone through her toughest times as an empress and made countless mistakes made it difficult to emotionally connect with her. How are we supposed to empathize with a character whose past we only see through brief snippets? The same goes for Xie Wei; by the time I actually started to understand their backgrounds and motivations, the drama was already nearing its end.

The pacing was also questionable. The last ten episodes were the only truly important ones. Honestly, you could have skipped everything before episode 30 and still followed along just fine, and that’s truly disappointing.

The OSTs were the saving grace of this drama. Other than that, it didn’t have much going for it. The casting didn’t convince me either. I’m not sure Bai Lu can handle these kinds of complex lead roles, and the same goes for Zhang Linghe.

Last but not least, I genuinely don’t understand how this drama is being called the best of 2023. It’s disappointing and confusing at the same time.

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